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MLS does great attendance numbers but it does not translate into TV numbers. I read an article last year about how in some local markets, there are more people at the game than there are watching on TV. (wonder if this is true for some NBA markets?)

I watch a lot of soccer on the weekends and have never watched a MLS game. I have a lot of friends who watch soccer as well and none of them are MLS fans. It's going to take quite a lot to get fans interested and perceive it as a top flight league.

To be fair, are MLS games even televised nationally? When do they come on? I'm not really a soccer fan, but I'm more interested that I was just by the simple fact that there's not a commercial break every 5 minutes like in Baseball.

I was really hoping the Cosmos were going to get the franchise that went to the Man City/Yankees group. I grew up in Jersey and some of my happiest memories from back then were watching the greats like Pele and Beckenbauer playing in Giants Stadium. They have a great proposal for a new stadium in Long Island. Will be interesting to see if the stadium gets funded now that they will be staying in the NASL for now.

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Recently the difference between Clemson and Carolina has become clear. While Irrational People Talk About Yesterday, TheRational Ones Orchestrate Success Today. So as they desperately cling to their history, we continue to make history day by day.

To be fair, are MLS games even televised nationally? When do they come on? I'm not really a soccer fan, but I'm more interested that I was just by the simple fact that there's not a commercial break every 5 minutes like in Baseball.

Now I like the MLS and will watch it, but I prefer European soccer.
(Just putting that there so no one calls me a soccer hater)

Ditto. I LOVE European soccer. Watch it all the time. Follow all the major leagues. Have Chelsea and Barcelona jerseys. A number of World Cup jerseys from different countries.

If anyone watched the Champions League matches yesterday, THAT is how exciting soccer can be. That was absolutely awesome in every possible way. Today will be just as good. Passion for some of these teams and matches is as good as the top teams and games in college football.

Teams like Seattle have great support but nothing will beat the atmoshphere in Europe.

There were times when people talked about the Charleston Battery going to MLS but I doubt it will work in Charleston either.

Once Atlanta is in (Should be announced April 16th), then Blank will put heat on MLS to give him some regional rivals -- Orlando and Miami are too far away, especially Miami.

The best regional rivals that have some potential would be: 1) Charlotte because of the media market; 2) Raleigh; 3) Charleston (they would need a big investor to step in to come up with an incredible marketing plan to overcome the small local population).

Teams in MLS have learned that having a regional rival has a BIG positive impact on attendance.

That's why MLS will be adding San Antonio and possibly Austin (Austin has done next to nothing to earn a shot, but they are a good media market and would help boost attendance in Dallas, thereby shoring up the attendance in one of the original markets). Austin would help stabilize attendance in Houston and the new San Antonio franchise as well.

Regional rivalries drive up the supporter group involvement, which MLS has determined is the #1 driver of in-game attendance. Strong supporters' groups = strong fan base attendance and even stronger season ticket sales, which right now is the lifeblood of the league.

With all that expansion I would be concerned about diluting an already diluted product.

As it has been noted, teams are well run and the league is financially stable. There are criteria that must be met to get a team.

With that said, with the money available in this country and more teams, you could draw more European type talent. Right now, they are getting them at the end of their careers. However, the moves of Dempsey, Bradley, and Defoe are changing that.

To be fair, are MLS games even televised nationally? When do they come on? I'm not really a soccer fan, but I'm more interested that I was just by the simple fact that there's not a commercial break every 5 minutes like in Baseball.

Forget nationally, are they even televised locally? I have NEVER seen a Fire game on TV at a bar in Chicago. I've been here for 6 years and I don't even know where the stadium is. You don't see people wearing the jerseys, you don't see advertisements on the street, you don't hear people talking about the team.

MLS is an afterthought for professional sports fans other than die-hard soccer fans who are the ones you see in those attendance figures. (Seattle seems to be the sole outlier there, but they're even more passionate about the Seahawks and I argue would be more so about the Sonics if they were still in town.) Couple that with what's been mentioned about the TV viewing figures, and it's pretty clear with where MLS stands in the pro sports pantheon. The notion that MLS is more popular among young people than MLB is also pretty laughable. You're either making it up or looking at a select pool of "youth" who happen to be soccer players. So long as television networks (especially ESPN) continue to ignore the MLS (have you ever seen SportsCenter spend significant time breaking down a key MLS matchup or showing highlights of a match?), MLS will not make that leap. On that point, let's also not forget that the fact that the games are not on TV forces a fan who wants to see the match to go attend the game; that's contributing directly to those attendance numbers too.

I actually enjoy soccer. I like watching it, and I'm playing in a league this spring. And I agree that MLS as an organization has done a fantastic job financially to stay not only afloat but profitable by knowing its market and not overreaching. But this thread seems to be full of fervent soccer enthusiasts who might be overstating things a little bit when it comes to just how successful the MLS is.

Last thought, for you guys comparing attendance totals, attendance averages, what total capacity is being used, etc. ... the critical element you're leaving out in comparing the NBA's attendance and MLS attendance is ticket price. OF COURSE you can get more fans in the seats when tickets are half the cost. Here's a whole article for you breaking down how stupid it is to try to use the MLS attendance figures as any indication of popularity vs. another pro sport: http://www.whatyoupayforsports.com/2...re-misleading/

Forget nationally, are they even televised locally? I have NEVER seen a Fire game on TV at a bar in Chicago. I've been here for 6 years and I don't even know where the stadium is. MLS is an afterthought for professional sports fans other than die-hard soccer fans who are the ones you see in those attendance figures. Couple that with what's been mentioned about the TV viewing figures, and it's pretty clear with where MLS stands in the pro sports pantheon. The notion that MLS is more popular among young people than MLB is also pretty laughable. You're either making it up or looking at a select pool of "youth" who happen to be soccer players. So long as television networks (especially ESPN) continue to ignore the MLS (have you ever seen SportsCenter spend significant time breaking down a key MLS matchup or showing highlights of a match?), MLS will not make that leap.

I actually enjoy soccer. I like watching it, and I'm playing in a league this spring. And I agree that MLS as an organization has done a fantastic job financially to stay not only afloat but profitable by knowing its market and not overreaching. But this thread seems to be full of fervent soccer enthusiasts who might be overstating things a little bit when it comes to just how successful the MLS is.

I don't pretend MLS is successful. I LOVE soccer but I don't watch MLS. I love European soccer. I've been there and have seen a match. MLS will never compare.

However, MLS is like the underdog that won't quit fighting. They do a lot of things right (like financially viable) and do their best to attract the best on a limited budget/availability. As a fan of soccer and especially the US team, I hope they do well - even if I'm never a big fan or supporter.

Dynamo games are regularly on some Comcast sports network in Houston. They also show FC Dallas games. NBC Sports network also televise games. This past weekend I watched a little of the Seattle vs. Portland game.

Dynamo games are regularly on some Comcast sports network in Houston. They also show FC Dallas games. NBC Sports network also televise games. This past weekend I watched a little of the Seattle vs. Portland game.

I don't pretend MLS is successful. I LOVE soccer but I don't watch MLS. I love European soccer. I've been there and have seen a match. MLS will never compare.

However, MLS is like the underdog that won't quit fighting. They do a lot of things right (like financially viable) and do their best to attract the best on a limited budget/availability. As a fan of soccer and especially the US team, I hope they do well - even if I'm never a big fan or supporter.

I agree, I hope they improve and expand and grow. I love watching. But so long as they have the tight salary caps, they will never attract top flight talent. So long as that is the case, they will not attract large TV contracts. They are in a Catch 22; they need to be a big, successful league to attract top talent but they need top talent to become a big successful league. Though the business model allows them to be successful to the degree they have so far and should continue to be, it will not allow them to jump in popularity to the point where they have a significant portion of the American sports' viewing populace's attention or of the international soccer viewing populace's attention.

The Red Bulls get on TV here (MSG network) when the Rangers, Knicks, Islanders, or Devils don't have a game.

Since NYFC is partially owned by the Yankees I would imagine they would show their games on YES. But that probably won't be a whole lot as the season conflicts with the Baseball season, until October when the Yankees playoff games are on National TV.

And the Nets games are also broadcast on YES, which conflicts as well.

I agree, I hope they improve and expand and grow. I love watching. But so long as they have the tight salary caps, they will never attract top flight talent. So long as that is the case, they will not attract large TV contracts. They are in a Catch 22; they need to be a big, successful league to attract top talent but they need top talent to become a big successful league. Though the business model allows them to be successful to the degree they have so far and should continue to be, it will not allow them to jump in popularity to the point where they have a significant portion of the American sports' viewing populace's attention or of the international soccer viewing populace's attention.

The biggest jump for MLS may be the US team this summer. If a squad full of MLS players can be successful at the World Cup, the image of MLS may change.

MLS will never be able to compete salary wise. However, reputation may be their biggest enemy - not money.

The biggest jump for MLS may be the US team this summer. If a squad full of MLS players can be successful at the World Cup, the image of MLS may change.

MLS will never be able to compete salary wise. However, reputation may be their biggest enemy - not money.

Success at the World Cup could help quite a bit. The league is doing much better than I ever thought it would. I figured it would be lucky to stick around 5 years before going belly-up. The way football is getting with the injury concerns changing the game, who knows where the MLS may be in 10-20 years. It's just going to take time, they need to market for future generations. People my age are a lost cause, they either hate the sport or love it, but already support a European/English team. I want the MLS to be succesful, but I haven't watched more than 5 minutes of an MLS game since the league started.

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Recently the difference between Clemson and Carolina has become clear. While Irrational People Talk About Yesterday, TheRational Ones Orchestrate Success Today. So as they desperately cling to their history, we continue to make history day by day.

I don't pretend MLS is successful. I LOVE soccer but I don't watch MLS. I love European soccer. I've been there and have seen a match. MLS will never compare.

However, MLS is like the underdog that won't quit fighting. They do a lot of things right (like financially viable) and do their best to attract the best on a limited budget/availability. As a fan of soccer and especially the US team, I hope they do well - even if I'm never a big fan or supporter.

up

MLS went from a baby league that people made fun of to being a dark horse into the big three.

If you think MLB is laughing about a baby league taking their teenage fans, you may want to re-think that, MLS is not playing around, they are starting to ball hard in the American sports market... you think NBC is paying them a penny for that tv contract?

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Teach a kid how to read and he will read, teach a kid how to shoot and he will shoot...

Forget nationally, are they even televised locally? I have NEVER seen a Fire game on TV at a bar in Chicago. I've been here for 6 years and I don't even know where the stadium is. You don't see people wearing the jerseys, you don't see advertisements on the street, you don't hear people talking about the team.

MLS is an afterthought for professional sports fans other than die-hard soccer fans who are the ones you see in those attendance figures. (Seattle seems to be the sole outlier there, but they're even more passionate about the Seahawks and I argue would be more so about the Sonics if they were still in town.) Couple that with what's been mentioned about the TV viewing figures, and it's pretty clear with where MLS stands in the pro sports pantheon. The notion that MLS is more popular among young people than MLB is also pretty laughable. You're either making it up or looking at a select pool of "youth" who happen to be soccer players. So long as television networks (especially ESPN) continue to ignore the MLS (have you ever seen SportsCenter spend significant time breaking down a key MLS matchup or showing highlights of a match?), MLS will not make that leap. On that point, let's also not forget that the fact that the games are not on TV forces a fan who wants to see the match to go attend the game; that's contributing directly to those attendance numbers too.

I actually enjoy soccer. I like watching it, and I'm playing in a league this spring. And I agree that MLS as an organization has done a fantastic job financially to stay not only afloat but profitable by knowing its market and not overreaching. But this thread seems to be full of fervent soccer enthusiasts who might be overstating things a little bit when it comes to just how successful the MLS is.

Last thought, for you guys comparing attendance totals, attendance averages, what total capacity is being used, etc. ... the critical element you're leaving out in comparing the NBA's attendance and MLS attendance is ticket price. OF COURSE you can get more fans in the seats when tickets are half the cost. Here's a whole article for you breaking down how stupid it is to try to use the MLS attendance figures as any indication of popularity vs. another pro sport: http://www.whatyoupayforsports.com/2...re-misleading/

MLS published a legit article about MLS being more popular than MLB among young Americans.

Nobody is making this up, google it.

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Teach a kid how to read and he will read, teach a kid how to shoot and he will shoot...